What's it Like in Crown Heights?
That’s what Brooklyn Based has been asking, and two Crown Heights residents—a relative long-timer and a newcomer—are answering. The 12-year resident pays $864.72 for a fourth-floor walk-up, likes the transportation options and the West Indian Day Parade, and doesn’t like the violence, not surprisingly. Still she feels safe. The three-year resident moved to a one-bedroom…
That’s what Brooklyn Based has been asking, and two Crown Heights residents—a relative long-timer and a newcomer—are answering. The 12-year resident pays $864.72 for a fourth-floor walk-up, likes the transportation options and the West Indian Day Parade, and doesn’t like the violence, not surprisingly. Still she feels safe. The three-year resident moved to a one-bedroom for $1,100. She finds the lack of big box commerce—dry cleaners and fruit stands but few big chains—a reprieve from mall-ized Manhattan, and like the longtime resident, appreciates the new upscale restaurants moving in. But she makes a point: new residents, and the businesses that accommodate them, seem to have little to do with longtime residents. Crown Heights has long been known as a neighborhood of duality, with African-Americans and Orthodox Jews sometimes in conflict, sometimes in harmony, but now there seems to be another Crown Heights emerging. Thoughts?
Photo by sahadeva.
Bxgrl, I think jingle mail is reacting to your post in the way that most people would who read this blog, which is why I tried to diplomatically tease out why those sorts of statements get people all worked up. It’s the implications of entitlement that get people on boths sides (newbie vs old timer) worked up, and your statement implied an entitlement to people who’ve lived in the neighborhood for the past 50 odd years (I understand you didn’t mean it that way but it comes off that way in the post).
My initial reaction was the same as jingle mail but I did not write it that way because I did not want to imply that because the neighborhood was white for 70 to 100 years before it became predominantly black for 50 odd years, that whites were entitled to it in some way. No one is. If you can afford to buy or rent, and someone is selling or renting, you are entitled to buy or apply for a lease. The problems start when either side does not clearly state that they are implying entitlement to any one group to a neighborhood based on race.
I do agree that capitalism will be the determining factor in the make up of the neighborhood, and I’m fine with that – especially today where people generally seem to be more comfortable living with those that are different from themselves. In fact, the people moving into Crown Heights and Bed Stuy are the least likely to be racist in their worldview – otherwise, they’d just find somewhere else to go outside of NYC if it was too expensive in currently “white” neighborhoods.
Bricks will fall on my head for saying this but I was surprised to find that Crown heights where I am, is far cleaner than where I lived on Court/Schermerhorn. I see people cleaning and sweeping the streets every morning. Nothing like getting up in the morning and having to sweep up the litter from the old Board of Ed because my building would get ticketed for their garbage blowing all over. They used to take out the paper for recycling in those big canvas bins, no bags and no covers. If the papers fell out and blew down the street it was our problem.
1842- If I denied that I’d be foolish. I just don’t like people defining the neighborhood or condemning it without getting the whole story. I love Crown Heights and am passionate about defending it. There are far too many good people who have spent years building it back up to let a bad picture or a news headline knock it down.
bmfesq – I’m with you, but its not limited to CH. There’s a terrible litter problem in many Brooklyn neighborhoods. And then people complain that their neighborhoods look like cr#p.
Folks on this site have too much time, too much money, a combination of the two….or are artists…..
Photo sucks but not only is Crown Heights cool, but Brooklyn is cool. I couldn’t imagine having been born and raised anyplace else….and any place you photograph in Brooklyn is reflective of the place that made me me.
Jingle mail, I don’t get what your point is, either. I think that picking on bxgrl’s humorous statement about the dawn of time, or the 50’s is to miss the entire point of her statement – that black homeownership in this area is a long time thing. The original owners here were upperclass folk, but aside from leaving a fine legacy of beautiful architecture, which is still being maintained by aforementioned middle class black ownership, so what? As NOP, 1842, and others have said, neighborhoods change, rise and fall, and rise again. What is important NOW, is the rising again part, and that has been helped by the ministrations and care of several generations of people who have always valued and cared for our architectual treasures, to the best of their abilities and budgets. This is a good thing, and the reason others are now finding their way here.
Don’t get me started on that bmfesq. Drives me insane! Tree pits are not trash cans!! I find that picking up all of the trash on my block regularly seems to deter scumbags from dropping their crap on the sidewalk. Makes my blood boil though.
jingle mail- “It’s a less known aspect of Crown heights North that many of the homes have been owned by Black families since the dawn of time (well, maybe slightly less)”
they were supposed to be somewhat humorous in tone as the “maybe slightly less was supposed to indicate. – as I explained- You’re misinterpreting.
So if you would like to point out what slanted historical distortion I made I’m waiting to see it. Because it is true that many black families bought homes in Crown Heights back then so what is the point you’re making about poor people owning or not? I said absolutely nothing about who the houses were built for or who had a right to them.
Thanks 1842 and MM.
What drives nuts about Crown Heights (I used to live in Carrol Gardens for 12 years)is the FILTH and TRASH everywhere.
Who thinks it is okay to drop your soda bottle and empty bag of chips as you walk? Why not pick up the trash in front of your house? Nostrand Ave. looks like a hurricane hit it on any given day with all the debris scattered about.